Candidates in Illinois are suing state officials, claiming their voting rights are being violated due to changes in the rules for choosing who can run for office. Leslie Collazo, one of the plaintiffs, is running against state Rep. La Shawn Ford and is unhappy with the changes. The Illinois State Board of Elections plans to continue following the new rules, but the candidates are not having it. They believe the new law doesn’t give voters enough choices and is unfair.
Candidates file lawsuit challenging Illinois' hastily changed election lawhttps://t.co/pmg4o9w9rX
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State Rep. Maurice West supports the new law, saying it puts the power back into the hands of the voters. He thinks the old system was being abused by both political parties, which is why the change was necessary. Collazo didn’t run in the primary because she thought someone else would step up, but no one did. So, she decided to run because she feels like her community isn’t being represented.
The new law started as something unrelated to elections but was changed to include rules about candidate selection. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law after calling it an ethics bill, but some people feel like it’s stopping them from having a fair chance at being on the ballot. Collazo and other candidates believe the law is unfair and doesn’t give them the same opportunities as before.
The candidates are suing to stop the enforcement of the new law, hoping to have their voices heard. They feel like the changes are infringing on their right to run for office and that they are not being treated fairly. They are asking for a court order to prevent officials from enforcing the new law against them. The candidates fear that the changes will prevent them from appearing on the ballot and are doing everything they can to bring fairness to the voters.